The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-02-10
IMPURE WATER.
Epidemic Tra"eabie to the Polluted Con-
dition of Private Wells.

Epidemic Tra"rabIe to the Polluted Con-
dition of Private Wells.
It is II common belief that when
we'll is dug pure spring water, ooZing
from the ground is obtained; that is
true in the case of arteSiau wells; but,
although possible, is rarely the case
with ordinary surface wells, and under
his name are embraced all %ells not
more than fifty feet deep. The water
obtained from these wells is merely
the water which has fallen on the sur
face of the car,h in rains, and has per
rolatcd the soil and become collected
in this excavation. 1t is called ground
water. Even granting that some or
the water may be spring water, some
of it must be the results of drainage,
and the amount of this will dcpcnd
uaum the rainfall, and the character
Of the soil. A moment : reflection will
show that wells must act "a drains to
the surrounding soil Just n awrt field
maY tr drained by digging one or more
trenches into which the soil may drain
and bee carried away, so, when deep
trench or we'll j. dur the water in the
surrounding soil will necessarily tend
t. drlin into it. This i, not only mat
Ter of rraS ,nn%, hnt u matter of eXpe-
riencc. The follow ing case is reported:
''In consequence OF the escape Of the
contents IF Il barrel of petroleum, or
brnzinr. which had been buried, a cir
cult of wells, >iNt, feet below, and two
hundred and fifty or three hundred
wards distant. became so affected that
the occupcrs of fifteen houses, contain
ing ei@hty-two Inhabitants, were for ten
DAYS unable t. ne the water for cook
inc or drinking. When wells are
first dug in rural districts, the
water is pure and may remain
so for long time. Fortunately, the
soil possesses some power of purilica-
ton. and although the water may re-
crive pOllutiH% matter on tn surface
of the ground, some of this matter is
detained mechanically, by filtration,
and other portions may be decompo'ed
and taken up by growing plants and
trees. Bat this power of the soil Is
limited When tn" sources of pollution
are constant and numerous, as in
cities. from p.ivieS. cesSpools, slop-
water. Offal and the manure of dOmes-
tic animals, and. sometimes, from
Ieakv and imperfect sewers and drains,
the soil becomes filth sodden and the
filth is carried deeper and deeper. until
finally it appears in our drinking wa
ter Sanitary literature is full Of
instances of the outbreaks of
epidnmics of dial1h9a. typhoid
fever and cholera which have
been traced to the drinking of we'll
water thus polluted; and, even though
the city may go through one or more
years epidemics, it is not pleasant
thought for the inhabitants to indulge
in, that they are drinking the drainage
of their privies and cess-pools. And
ret they must realize the idea that their
wells are. and must be. drains for the
surrounding grounds. with all its con-
tens that are capable of solution in
water. Science can not tell us that, in
q given water is charged the poison OF
a definite disease. but it can tell us that
it has received the product OF decaylng
matter from animal sources, and, again,
that SUCH wa, Ell is dangerous to health.
DR.. III r. Muck, TN Sanitary Monitor.